Likes: Jello shots, friendly bar karaoke set up. No pressure to sing or be good at singing. Bar video games that can be played in groups.
Dislikes: It's a legit dive bar. A little claustrophobic with a long and narrow bar.
Try: Jello shots! + karaoke + cheap booze + friendly bartender + weekday/non-FF night + good group of friends.
Bottom line: Iconic Chinatown dive bar with a mixed group of regulars including scruffy bar flies, HPU pseudo-hipsters, and the young professional crowd. With it's kitschy tiki-themed interior, Smith's does not pretend to be anything it's not. Ladies might want to hop over to one of the surrounding bars to use the bathroom. Five stars for a consistently fun time.
This is the best dive bar in Chinatown, it's also one of the oldest. Â There are occasionally some undesirables out front, but the staff is pretty good about chasing them away.
You have to drink to sing karaoke, but that won't be a problem if this is where you want to be! Â The songs are $1 each, and you can pick them from books kept behind the bar. Â Don't hesitate to ask for them if they're not out. Â
Slurp some jello shots (grape's the best!) and rub elbows with an eclectic crowd. Â The bathrooms are a little gross and aren't for the modest; the men's urinal is a doorless trough.
Not a place I would usually find myself on a Friday night but when First Friday comes along, you end up wherever the night takes you. Â After getting some pizza and beer at JJ Dolans, we found ourselves at this fun little dive karaoke bar. Â I realized that despite not really being into karaoke, it makes for an entertaining night at a bar. Â Way more interesting than usual bar conversation and evasion moves. Â Everyone here was in a great mood and people just passed the mike around when their song came up. Â You can just sing along without the mike like I do and still have a blast. Â My group just got a round of beers and some rum shots to keep us going. Â Good prices and fun place, just remember cash only. Â Don't be intimidated by the sketchy appearance. Â All of Chinatown is pretty gross. Â Embrace the meth addicts and bums and have a great time. Â Smith's is a great way to end your fun night... by drunkenly singing "Don't Stop Believin" by Journey.
Review Source:I love this dive bar. It's probably the closest thing to a hipster bar Hawaii gets. The owner is super friendly and he makes the BEST jello shots...which of course lends well to the other best part about this bar...KARAOKE! $1 a song! So jello shots and singing definitely go hand in hand!! :-) Â Love this place.
Review Source:The bestest lil dive bar! The kryptonian green vibe, gigantic fish hooks and sweet vibe drew me in here on our final day in Hawaii. We were lucky enough to meet Marc, the current owner who was as friendly as can be and told us the history of this gem! Evidently it is the oldest bar in Honolulu, which makes sense since it is a union bar. He bought it 3 years ago, fixed it up and just sold it. Regulars frequent this establishment daily and the bartendress couldn't have been sweeter! One of the regulars bought a round of drinks and another told us some local jokes, our 15 minute visit on a Monday afternoon made me want to never leave! This is my favorite kind of place, full of personality and characters who are loving life and want to be your best friend for the few minutes we share together. This was the cherry on top of an amazing experience on the island and I truly hope the new owners carry on the awesomeness!
Review Source:This business is terrible. Â I used to go here a lot late night to get a beer or enjoy some karaoke. Â Lately they've really taken a down turn with racism and hate. Â I, being Caucasian, experienced extreme bias when I tried to buy into a karaoke song. Â The bartender immediately came up to me and told me that I was not welcome when I asked to see the songs for some karaoke. Â He decided that since I did not buy a drink first, I could not pick a song and swiftly kicked me and my girlfriend out of the bar. Â This place sucks and nobody should go here ever.
Review Source:VOTED BEST DIVE BAR IN THE NATION! ! ! ! !
   ~  If you can ignore and maneuver through the dumbass Crackheads outside the bar, then you can handle taking a shot in the OLDEST BAR ON OAHU ! ! !
  ~ Historically AWESOME. .....  Located on Hotel Street and Nu'uanu Ave.
       INSANE CROWD during FIRST FRIDAY ! ! !
  (Celebration of the First Friday of the Month)
Streets get packed in waves....
   ~  Just avoid the Super Crackhead Bar across the street!
     (Brass knuckles optional)
THIS is a great dive in Chinatown. Maybe it's just cuz I always have good company when I go there, but I got nothing but good memories from this place. If you go, be ready to belt out some jams on the $1 karaoke. Love the regulars that cruise the bar and sing along when you start singing your fave tune.
From the outside, it's not much to look at - especially when you see all the grungy people in the area, and the more popular hangouts like Bar 35, etc literally next door. Step inside for a good time though, and it's all good.
Maybe not the best place to start your night at, but come with a little buzz going, be ready to sing, and you'll have a great time!
Looking at this bar from the outside, you get this sense of sketchy-ness. There are homeless people camped outside waiting for a person to lend them money. If you look inside, you also don't see much in it. It looks like a regular dive bar with capacity not even close to half. Then again, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, right? Well, when it comes to this place, you shouldn't.
The bartender, Craig, is cool. He may look like a prick, but he's not. He is responsive and has great knowledge of what this place offers. In my opinion, he is the epitome of a great bartender.
The reason why I gave this place 5 stars is because of its karaoke machine. My friend and I stumbled on a group of people singing on the karaoke and man, they made my day! They had chosen songs that we crowd pleasing. They had the entire bar singing. Everyone was having a great time and I think that is important when you offer karaoke to your customers. We were all singing so loud that people from the outside came in and joined along haha.
I recommend this place for groups of people if they want to fun. Saturdays prefferably because that is the only day I know that Craig works there.
P.S.- I think there is a day out of the week that offers a free drink for a song. One song is $1. I'm not too sure, so I'll have to go back and check it haha
Super divey kind of place. Â There's karaoke and lots of alcohol. Â That's pretty much all I can say. Â If it weren't for my friends being there, I would give this place a lower score. Â The bartender was boring. Â The bathrooms were super disgusting. Â Can't really say much about the place other than those impressions.
Review Source:Who doesn't love a dive bar? Who doesn't love a dive bar with a "power hour" at 10am? Who doesn't love a dive bar, with a 10am "power hour", that has karaoke for $1 a song every night of the week?!
Smith's Union is a guarenteed stop whenever we are partying on hotel, it is either where we start, where we end, or (depending on the event) we just stay.
It is one of the more low key joints in that area which leads to a lovely melange of people - homeless people, college kids, military boys, the LGBTQ community, locals. It has a great vibe.
Mostly locals during the day, but a great mix of everybody at night... the downtrodden, military, trendy, professionals, old queens and young hipsters. Everybody is welcome and everyone gets along. Its a great place to both start young and end your night. Less expensive then most of the 'popular' clubs with a good selection of bottle beers and karaoke songs.
Review Source:This is a great dive karaoke bar. When you walk by it - you may think to yourself "there is no way in h-e-double hockey sticks I will ever go in there." But relax, give in to $1 karaoke, good service and stiff drinks.
The place isn't as scary as it looks. It looks like it used to be a Tiki bar and the new owner decided to keep the decorations but change the name.
The bartender (Craig) is awesome! Jello shots are great - I never thought of trying them with whipped cream until I had them at this place.
Worth checking out at least once.
WARNING - CASH ONLY. They do have an ATM on site.
The vibe here is relaxed and the staff are friendly. Â For the oldest bar in Honolulu, the place, while a "dive" bar isn't too shabby. Â A full bar in a great locale and they seem to be making moves to clean it up and make changes. Â The place is small but you cannot beat the price of the drinks!!!! Â A place I will definitely return to!
Review Source:Yelp 365 Challenge: 50/365
Ok Toto. Â I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...
If it wasn't for 1st Fridays and other random nights out fueled by Grey Goose, I probably would never even walk into this establishment. Â Smith's Union Bar is one of those divey joints along Hotel street your mother warned you about. Â But hey, it is randomly fun.
For my friends and I, this is one of our late night stops. Â Once we're done with the Chinatown standards, we need a place to cap off the night. Â Singing the night away is always a good idea. Â
Here's a few tips if you decide to walk in:
1) Cash is king. Â No money, no honey.
2) Go in a group. Â There are some crazy people here.
3) Don't sit on anything. Â Think about what or who's sat on it before you and you'll understand.
4) Sing, sing, sing. Â The music is cranked up real loud, so you can really wail on the mic.
5) Leave in a group. Â Momma always said "Safety in numbers".
It's a 3 out of 5 for me because it's really a 1 trick pony. Â Liquor fueled karaoke.
Love this bar! Great prices and stiff drinks!
Beware, the bathrooms are scary! Women - you need to use the men's faucet, which is really just a yard faucet, yikes! haha!
Karaoke song selection is really good here for that little book they have. 1$ a song, so it's the usual. Get 2-3 songs up on your little yellow note pad and sing away! Sit at the far end of the bar for the best service if you're signing and drinking.
This place is okay for a dive bar in downtown Honolulu. Â They have karaoke, and plenty of seats at the bar or tables. Â No beers on tap though, just bottles and liquor. Â I wound up going here because the clubs next door had long lines for First Friday.
Will I return? Â If someone else wants to go, I'll go too. Â If not, no.
What character! Â What a dive! Â They say it's the oldest bar in Oahu, possibly Hawaii... however that being said, it's odd that there are no beers on tap! Â Found this more humorous than anything else. Â Still, can't beat the prices, and they have ice cold bottled beers and mixed drinks. Â If you're in Chinatown or hanging at night, either way, check it out and at least grab a drink.
Review Source:hotel st just reeks of wwII era sailor whorehouses & i luv it!
there are so many empty buildings but you can see the signs of a time gone by (see pic).
so this joint claims to be the oldest bar in chinatown? or all of honolulu? whatever.. its old!
the bartender was a mid age bra type who was tiptoeing around hooker conversations w/my dude while i sat there w/my $3 miller light.
the bar is dark
5 or so tables that seat 4 lined against the wall
the 10 or so patrons that were there  on a wed afternoon looked questionable.. (think king eddys in downtown LA , the mainland)
you have to come here..
very non touristy & very vintage-y
Personally, I avoid the downtown/chinatown establishments whose patrons are.... er..... too colorful. Â However, Smith's Union Bar is a wonderfully dive-y relic of Chinatown's more sordid history.
Also, the drinks are SUPER cheap ($2 budweisers), so if you're looking a place to duck in with some youthful or other friends, Smith's is the place for you.
However, if you value cleanliness and/or bathrooms which don't make you think you're going to catch some type of disease from using, you might want to continue up hotel st and hit up Bar 35, 39 Hotel, or Manifest or head up Nuuanu / Bethel and see what's shaking at Indigo's, Du Vin, Soul de Cuba, Bambu 2.0, J.J. Dolan's, or even SoHo & Mercury Bar.
when you're being accosted by a drooling guy leaning to one side and blinking too fast on your way to Bar 35, duck in here
when the first friday art walk is too crowded, duck in here
when you're over indigo's happy hour but it's too early for next door, duck in here
when you're all full from little village and want to have a drink to settle your stomach, duck in here.
karaoke is offered to people who looks fun. the bartender will shoo away anyone begging you for money or offering you drugs. it's actually chinatown's finest among the more shady looking spots.
it's my favorite hotel street establishment.
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